THE MEDIATION EFFECT OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN THE ISLAMIC FASHION RETAIL STORE ATTRIBUTES AND RETAIL PATRONAGE BEHAVIOUR AMONG MUSLIM CONSUMERS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

The success of every physical retail store relies heavily on the behaviour of its customers. Various attempts have been made to explore how Islamic store attributes affect customer satisfaction and the behaviour of patrons in retail settings. Previous studies on retail patronage behaviour have primarily focused on the 4Ps (product, price, place, and promotion) or their subsets as store attributes. However, there is a lack of research on the role of customer satisfaction as a mediating factor in retail patronage behaviour. This study investigates the impact of Islamic store attributes on customer satisfaction and retail patronage behaviour within the context of Islamic fashion retail stores. Through a cross-sectional study, the potential relationship between the 7Ps of marketing mixes, known as Islamic store attributes (product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical environment), and customer satisfaction and retail patronage behaviour are examined. The findings of this research confirm that customer satisfaction plays a valid mediating role in the relationship between price, promotion, people, process, physical environment, and retail patronage behaviour. Therefore, it is evident that practitioners must create appealing and suitable Islamic store attributes to influence customer satisfaction and foster positive retail patronage behaviour. Additionally, diverse strategies are required to cater to the needs of different customer segments. Based on these investigations, recommendations have been made for future research in this area.